Eyewear including virtual scene with 3D frames

ABSTRACT

Eyewear providing an interactive augmented reality experience by displaying virtual 3D content in a 3D frame on a display forming a field of view (FOV). The user can manipulate the displayed 3D frame using control components, such as touchpad of the eyewear device and the mobile device including control components. The 3D frame is displayed around the 3D content to avoid FOV clipping of the 3D content by the display which distracts from the virtual experience and draws attention to the device&#39;s limitations. The 3D frame is illustrated as a window positioned in a central portion of a virtual scene displayed on display. The 3D frame can be manipulated with reference to the virtual scene by the user using the control inputs, such as by rotating the 3D frame about a non-visual vertical axis within the virtual scene to create a seamless transition. Upon advancing the 3D frame to the next/previous frame having different 3D content, an event, such as playing animation, can be triggered.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.17/111,629, and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No.63/085,188 filed on Sep. 30, 2020, the content of both of which areincorporated fully herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Examples set forth in the present disclosure relate to the field ofaugmented reality (AR) and wearable mobile devices such as eyeweardevices.

BACKGROUND

Many types of computers and electronic devices available today, such asmobile devices (e.g., smartphones, tablets, and laptops), handhelddevices, and wearable devices (e.g., smart glasses, digital eyewear,headwear, headgear, and head-mounted displays), include a variety ofcameras, sensors, wireless transceivers, input systems (e.g.,touch-sensitive surfaces, pointers), peripheral devices, displays, andgraphical user interfaces (GUIs) through which a user can interact withdisplayed content.

Augmented reality (AR) combines real objects in a physical environmentwith virtual objects and displays the combination to a user. Thecombined display gives the impression that the virtual objects areauthentically present in the environment, especially when the virtualobjects appear and behave like the real objects.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Features of the various examples described will be readily understoodfrom the following detailed description, in which reference is made tothe figures. A reference numeral is used with each element in thedescription and throughout the several views of the drawing. When aplurality of similar elements is present, a single reference numeral maybe assigned to like elements, with an added lower-case letter referringto a specific element.

The various elements shown in the figures are not drawn to scale unlessotherwise indicated. The dimensions of the various elements may beenlarged or reduced in the interest of clarity. The several figuresdepict one or more implementations and are presented by way of exampleonly and should not be construed as limiting. Included in the drawingare the following figures:

FIG. 1A is a side view (right) of an example hardware configuration ofan eyewear device suitable for use in an augmented reality productionsystem;

FIG. 1B is a perspective, partly sectional view of a right corner of theeyewear device of FIG. 1A depicting a right visible-light camera, and acircuit board;

FIG. 1C is a side view (left) of an example hardware configuration ofthe eyewear device of FIG. 1A, which shows a left visible-light camera;

FIG. 1D is a perspective, partly sectional view of a left corner of theeyewear device of FIG. 1C depicting the left visible-light camera, and acircuit board;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are rear views of example hardware configurations of aneyewear device utilized in the augmented reality production system;

FIG. 2C illustrates detecting eye gaze direction;

FIG. 2D illustrates detecting eye position;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic depiction of a three-dimensional scene, a leftraw image captured by a left visible-light camera, and a right raw imagecaptured by a right visible-light camera;

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of an example augmented realityproduction system including a wearable device (e.g., an eyewear device)and a server system connected via various networks;

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic representation of an example hardwareconfiguration for a mobile device of the augmented reality productionsystem of FIG. 4 ;

FIG. 6 illustrates a 3D virtual frame displayed by the display around 3Dcontent to avoid FOV clipping by the display;

FIG. 7 illustrates the 3D frame as a triangle;

FIG. 8 illustrates the 3D frame being manipulated with reference to thevirtual scene by the user using the control inputs, such as by rotatingthe 3D frame about a non-visual vertical axis within the virtual scene;

FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 illustrate the 3D frame controlled by head rotation;and

FIG. 11 is a flow chart depicting a method of operation of the processorexecuting instructions of a 3D frame application.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Eyewear providing an interactive augmented reality experience bydisplaying virtual 3D content in a 3D frame on a display forming a fieldof view (FOV). The user can manipulate the displayed 3D frame usingcontrol components, such as touchpad or IMU input of an eyewear deviceor a mobile device. The 3D frame is displayed around the 3D content toavoid FOV clipping of the 3D content by the display which distracts fromthe virtual experience and draws attention to the device's limitations.The 3D frame is illustrated as a window positioned in a central portionof a virtual scene displayed on display. The 3D frame can be manipulatedwith reference to the virtual scene by the user using the controlinputs, such as by rotating the 3D frame about a non-visual verticalaxis within the virtual scene to create a seamless transition. Uponadvancing the 3D frame to the next/previous frame having different 3Dcontent, an event, such as playing animation, can be triggered.

The following detailed description includes systems, methods,techniques, instruction sequences, and computing machine programproducts illustrative of examples set forth in the disclosure. Numerousdetails and examples are included for the purpose of providing athorough understanding of the disclosed subject matter and its relevantteachings. Those skilled in the relevant art, however, may understandhow to apply the relevant teachings without such details. Aspects of thedisclosed subject matter are not limited to the specific devices,systems, and method described because the relevant teachings can beapplied or practice in a variety of ways. The terminology andnomenclature used herein is for the purpose of describing particularaspects only and is not intended to be limiting. In general, well-knowninstruction instances, protocols, structures, and techniques are notnecessarily shown in detail.

The terms “coupled” or “connected” as used herein refer to any logical,optical, physical, or electrical connection, including a link or thelike by which the electrical or magnetic signals produced or supplied byone system element are imparted to another coupled or connected systemelement. Unless described otherwise, coupled or connected elements ordevices are not necessarily directly connected to one another and may beseparated by intermediate components, elements, or communication media,one or more of which may modify, manipulate, or carry the electricalsignals. The term “on” means directly supported by an element orindirectly supported by the element through another element that isintegrated into or supported by the element.

The term “proximal” is used to describe an item or part of an item thatis situated near, adjacent, or next to an object or person; or that iscloser relative to other parts of the item, which may be described as“distal.” For example, the end of an item nearest an object may bereferred to as the proximal end, whereas the generally opposing end maybe referred to as the distal end.

The orientations of the eyewear device, other mobile devices, associatedcomponents and any other devices incorporating a camera, an inertialmeasurement unit, or both such as shown in any of the drawings, aregiven by way of example only, for illustration and discussion purposes.In operation, the eyewear device may be oriented in any other directionsuitable to the particular application of the eyewear device; forexample, up, down, sideways, or any other orientation. Also, to theextent used herein, any directional term, such as front, rear, inward,outward, toward, left, right, lateral, longitudinal, up, down, upper,lower, top, bottom, side, horizontal, vertical, and diagonal are used byway of example only, and are not limiting as to the direction ororientation of any camera or inertial measurement unit as constructed oras otherwise described herein.

Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the examples willbe set forth in part in the following description, and in part willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of thefollowing and the accompanying drawings or may be learned by productionor operation of the examples. The objects and advantages of the presentsubject matter may be realized and attained by means of themethodologies, instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointedout in the appended claims.

Reference now is made in detail to the examples illustrated in theaccompanying drawings and discussed below.

FIG. 1A is a side view (right) of an example hardware configuration ofan eyewear device 100 which includes a touch-sensitive input device ortouchpad 181. As shown, the touchpad 181 may have a boundary that issubtle and not easily seen; alternatively, the boundary may be plainlyvisible or include a raised or otherwise tactile edge that providesfeedback to the user about the location and boundary of the touchpad181. In other implementations, the eyewear device 100 may include atouchpad on the left side.

The surface of the touchpad 181 is configured to detect finger touches,taps, and gestures (e.g., moving touches) for use with a GUI displayedby the eyewear device, on an image display, to allow the user tonavigate through and select menu options in an intuitive manner, whichenhances and simplifies the user experience.

Detection of finger inputs on the touchpad 181 can enable severalfunctions. For example, touching anywhere on the touchpad 181 may causethe GUI to display or highlight an item on the image display, which maybe projected onto at least one of the optical assemblies 180A, 180B.Double tapping on the touchpad 181 may select an item or icon. Slidingor swiping a finger in a particular direction (e.g., from front to back,back to front, up to down, or down to) may cause the items or icons toslide or scroll in a particular direction; for example, to move to anext item, icon, video, image, page, or slide. Sliding the finger inanother direction may slide or scroll in the opposite direction; forexample, to move to a previous item, icon, video, image, page, or slide.The touchpad 181 can be virtually anywhere on the eyewear device 100.

In one example, an identified finger gesture of a single tap on thetouchpad 181, initiates selection or pressing of a graphical userinterface element in the image presented on the image display of theoptical assembly 180A, 180B. An adjustment to the image presented on theimage display of the optical assembly 180A, 180B based on the identifiedfinger gesture can be a primary action which selects or submits thegraphical user interface element on the image display of the opticalassembly 180A, 180B for further display or execution.

As shown, the eyewear device 100 includes a right visible-light camera114B. As further described herein, two cameras 114A, 114B capture imageinformation for a scene from two separate viewpoints. The two capturedimages may be used to project a three-dimensional display onto an imagedisplay for viewing with 3D glasses.

The eyewear device 100 includes a right optical assembly 180B with animage display to present images, such as depth images. As shown in FIGS.1A and 1B, the eyewear device 100 includes the right visible-lightcamera 114B. The eyewear device 100 can include multiple visible-lightcameras 114A, 114B that form a passive type of three-dimensional camera,such as stereo camera, of which the right visible-light camera 114B islocated on a right corner 110B. As shown in FIGS. 1C-D, the eyeweardevice 100 also includes a left visible-light camera 114A.

Left and right visible-light cameras 114A, 114B are sensitive to thevisible-light range wavelength. Each of the visible-light cameras 114A,114B have a different frontward facing field of view which areoverlapping to enable generation of three-dimensional depth images, forexample, right visible-light camera 114B depicts a right field of view111B. Generally, a “field of view” is the part of the scene that isvisible through the camera at a particular position and orientation inspace. The fields of view 111A and 111B have an overlapping field ofview 304 (FIG. 3 ). Objects or object features outside the field of view111A, 111B when the visible-light camera captures the image are notrecorded in a raw image (e.g., photograph or picture). The field of viewdescribes an angle range or extent, which the image sensor of thevisible-light camera 114A, 114B picks up electromagnetic radiation of agiven scene in a captured image of the given scene. Field of view can beexpressed as the angular size of the view cone; i.e., an angle of view.The angle of view can be measured horizontally, vertically, ordiagonally.

In an example, visible-light cameras 114A, 114B have a field of viewwith an angle of view between 15° to 30°, for example 24°, and have aresolution of 480×480 pixels. In another example, the field of view canbe much wider, such as 100°. The “angle of coverage” describes the anglerange that a lens of visible-light cameras 114A, 114B or infrared camera410 (see FIG. 2A) can effectively image. Typically, the camera lensproduces an image circle that is large enough to cover the film orsensor of the camera completely, possibly including some vignetting(e.g., a darkening of the image toward the edges when compared to thecenter). If the angle of coverage of the camera lens does not fill thesensor, the image circle will be visible, typically with strongvignetting toward the edge, and the effective angle of view will belimited to the angle of coverage.

Examples of such visible-light cameras 114A, 114B include ahigh-resolution complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) imagesensor and a digital VGA camera (video graphics array) capable ofresolutions of 640 p (e.g., 640×480 pixels for a total of 0.3megapixels), 720p, or 1080p. Other examples of visible-light cameras114A, 114B that can capture high-definition (HD) still images and storethem at a resolution of 1642 by 1642 pixels (or greater); or recordhigh-definition video at a high frame rate (e.g., thirty to sixty framesper second or more) and store the recording at a resolution of 1216 by1216 pixels (or greater).

The eyewear device 100 may capture image sensor data from thevisible-light cameras 114A, 114B along with geolocation data, digitizedby an image processor, for storage in a memory. The visible-lightcameras 114A, 114B capture respective left and right raw images in thetwo-dimensional space domain that comprise a matrix of pixels on atwo-dimensional coordinate system that includes an X-axis for horizontalposition and a Y-axis for vertical position. Each pixel includes a colorattribute value (e.g., a red pixel light value, a green pixel lightvalue, or a blue pixel light value); and a position attribute (e.g., anX-axis coordinate and a Y-axis coordinate).

In order to capture stereo images for later display as athree-dimensional projection, the image processor 412 (shown in FIG. 4 )may be coupled to the visible-light cameras 114A, 114B to receive andstore the visual image information. The image processor 412, or anotherprocessor, controls operation of the visible-light cameras 114A, 114B toact as a stereo camera simulating human binocular vision and may add atimestamp to each image. The timestamp on each pair of images allowsdisplay of the images together as part of a three-dimensionalprojection. Three-dimensional projections produce an immersive,life-like experience that is desirable in a variety of contexts,including virtual reality (VR) and video gaming.

FIG. 1B is a perspective, cross-sectional view of a right corner 110B ofthe eyewear device 100 of FIG. 1A depicting the right visible-lightcamera 114B of the camera system, and a circuit board. FIG. 1C is a sideview (left) of an example hardware configuration of an eyewear device100 of FIG. 1A, which shows a left visible-light camera 114A of thecamera system. FIG. 1D is a perspective, cross-sectional view of a leftcorner 110A of the eyewear device of FIG. 1C depicting the leftvisible-light camera 114A of the three-dimensional camera, and a circuitboard.

Construction and placement of the left visible-light camera 114A issubstantially similar to the right visible-light camera 114B, except theconnections and coupling are on the left lateral side 170A. As shown inthe example of FIG. 1B, the eyewear device 100 includes the rightvisible-light camera 114B and a circuit board 140B, which may be aflexible printed circuit board (PCB). The right hinge 126B connects theright corner 110B to a right temple 125B of the eyewear device 100. Insome examples, components of the right visible-light camera 114B, theflexible PCB 140B, or other electrical connectors or contacts may belocated on the right temple 125B or the right hinge 126B.

The left corner 110A and the right corner 110B includes corner body 190and a corner cap, with the corner cap omitted in the cross-section ofFIG. 1B and FIG. 1D. Disposed inside the left corner 110A and the rightcorner 110B are various interconnected circuit boards, such as PCBs orflexible PCBs, that include controller circuits for the respective leftvisible-light camera 114A and the right visible-light camera 114B,microphone(s) 130, speaker 132, low-power wireless circuitry (e.g., forwireless short range network communication via Bluetooth™), high-speedwireless circuitry (e.g., for wireless local area network communicationvia Wi-Fi).

The right visible-light camera 114B is coupled to or disposed on theflexible PCB 140B and covered by a visible-light camera cover lens,which is aimed through opening(s) formed in the frame 105. For example,the right rim 107B of the frame 105, shown in FIG. 2A, is connected tothe right corner 110B and includes the opening(s) for the visible-lightcamera cover lens. The frame 105 includes a front side configured toface outward and away from the eye of the user. The opening for thevisible-light camera cover lens is formed on and through the front oroutward-facing side of the frame 105. In the example, the rightvisible-light camera 114B has an outward-facing field of view 111B(shown in FIG. 3 ) with a line of sight or perspective that iscorrelated with the right eye of the user of the eyewear device 100. Thevisible-light camera cover lens can also be adhered to a front side oroutward-facing surface of the right corner 110B in which an opening isformed with an outward-facing angle of coverage, but in a differentoutwardly direction. The coupling can also be indirect via interveningcomponents.

As shown in FIG. 1B, flexible PCB 140B is disposed inside the rightcorner 110B and is coupled to one or more other components housed in theright corner 110B. Although shown as being formed on the circuit boardsof the right corner 110B, the right visible-light camera 114B can beformed on the circuit boards of the left corner 110A, the temples 125A,125B, or the frame 105.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are perspective views, from the rear, of examplehardware configurations of the eyewear device 100, including twodifferent types of image displays. The eyewear device 100 is sized andshaped in a form configured for wearing by a user; the form ofeyeglasses is shown in the example. The eyewear device 100 can takeother forms and may incorporate other types of frameworks; for example,a headgear, a headset, or a helmet.

In the eyeglasses example, eyewear device 100 includes a frame 105including a left rim 107A connected to a right rim 107B via a bridge 106adapted to be supported by a nose of the user. The left and right rims107A, 107B include respective apertures 175A, 175B, which hold arespective optical element 180A, 180B, such as a lens and a displaydevice. As used herein, the term “lens” is meant to include transparentor translucent pieces of glass or plastic having curved or flat surfacesthat cause light to converge/diverge or that cause little or noconvergence or divergence.

Although shown as having two optical elements 180A, 180B, the eyeweardevice 100 can include other arrangements, such as a single opticalelement (or it may not include any optical element 180A, 180B),depending on the application or the intended user of the eyewear device100. As further shown, eyewear device 100 includes a left corner 110Aadjacent the left lateral side 170A of the frame 105 and a right corner110B adjacent the right lateral side 170B of the frame 105. The corners110A, 110B may be integrated into the frame 105 on the respective sides170A, 170B (as illustrated) or implemented as separate componentsattached to the frame 105 on the respective sides 170A, 170B.Alternatively, the corners 110A, 110B may be integrated into temples(not shown) attached to the frame 105.

In one example, the image display of optical assembly 180A, 180Bincludes an integrated image display 177. As shown in FIG. 2A, eachoptical assembly 180A, 180B includes a suitable display matrix 177, suchas a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light-emitting diode(OLED) display, or any other such display. Each optical assembly 180A,180B also includes an optical layer or layers 176, which can includelenses, optical coatings, prisms, mirrors, waveguides, optical strips,and other optical components in any combination. The optical layers176A, 176B, . . . 176N (shown as 176A-N in FIG. 2A and herein) caninclude a prism having a suitable size and configuration and including afirst surface for receiving light from a display matrix and a secondsurface for emitting light to the eye of the user. The prism of theoptical layers 176A-N extends over all or at least a portion of therespective apertures 175A, 175B formed in the left and right rims 107A,107B to permit the user to see the second surface of the prism when theeye of the user is viewing through the corresponding left and right rims107A, 107B. The first surface of the prism of the optical layers 176A-Nfaces upwardly from the frame 105 and the display matrix 177 overliesthe prism so that photons and light emitted by the display matrix 177impinge the first surface. The prism is sized and shaped so that thelight is refracted within the prism and is directed toward the eye ofthe user by the second surface of the prism of the optical layers176A-N. In this regard, the second surface of the prism of the opticallayers 176A-N can be convex to direct the light toward the center of theeye. The prism can optionally be sized and shaped to magnify the imageprojected by the display matrix 177, and the light travels through theprism so that the image viewed from the second surface is larger in oneor more dimensions than the image emitted from the display matrix 177.

In one example, the optical layers 176A-N may include an LCD layer thatis transparent (keeping the lens open) unless and until a voltage isapplied which makes the layer opaque (closing or blocking the lens). Theimage processor 412 on the eyewear device 100 may execute programming toapply the voltage to the LCD layer in order to produce an active shuttersystem, making the eyewear device 100 suitable for viewing visualcontent when displayed as a three-dimensional projection. Technologiesother than LCD may be used for the active shutter mode, including othertypes of reactive layers that are responsive to a voltage or anothertype of input.

In another example, the image display device of optical assembly 180A,180B includes a projection image display as shown in FIG. 2B. Eachoptical assembly 180A, 180B includes a laser projector 150, which is athree-color laser projector using a scanning mirror or galvanometer.During operation, an optical source such as a laser projector 150 isdisposed in or on one of the temples 125A, 125B of the eyewear device100. Optical assembly 180B in this example includes one or more opticalstrips 155A, 155B, . . . 155N (shown as 155A-N in FIG. 2B) which arespaced apart and across the width of the lens of each optical assembly180A, 180B or across a depth of the lens between the front surface andthe rear surface of the lens.

As the photons projected by the laser projector 150 travel across thelens of each optical assembly 180A, 180B, the photons encounter theoptical strips 155A-N. When a particular photon encounters a particularoptical strip, the photon is either redirected toward the user's eye, orit passes to the next optical strip. A combination of modulation oflaser projector 150, and modulation of optical strips, may controlspecific photons or beams of light. In an example, a processor controlsoptical strips 155A-N by initiating mechanical, acoustic, orelectromagnetic signals. Although shown as having two optical assemblies180A, 180B, the eyewear device 100 can include other arrangements, suchas a single or three optical assemblies, or each optical assembly 180A,180B may have arranged different arrangement depending on theapplication or intended user of the eyewear device 100.

As further shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, eyewear device 100 includes a leftcorner 110A adjacent the left lateral side 170A of the frame 105 and aright corner 110B adjacent the right lateral side 170B of the frame 105.The corners 110A, 110B may be integrated into the frame 105 on therespective lateral sides 170A, 170B (as illustrated) or implemented asseparate components attached to the frame 105 on the respective sides170A, 170B. Alternatively, the corners 110A, 110B may be integrated intotemples 125A, 125B attached to the frame 105.

In another example, the eyewear device 100 shown in FIG. 2B may includetwo projectors, a left projector (not shown) and a right projector 150).The left optical assembly 180A may include a left display matrix 177A(FIG. 2A) or a left set of optical strips (not shown) which areconfigured to interact with light from the left projector. Similarly,the right optical assembly 180B may include a right display matrix 177B(not shown) or a right set of optical strips 155A, 155B, . . . 155Nwhich are configured to interact with light from the right projector150. In this example, the eyewear device 100 includes a left display anda right display.

Referring to FIG. 2A, the frame 105 or one or more of the left and righttemples 110A-B include an infrared emitter 215 and an infrared camera220. The infrared emitter 215 and the infrared camera 20 can beconnected to the flexible PCB 140B by soldering, for example.

Other arrangements of the infrared emitter 215 and infrared camera 220can be implemented, including arrangements in which the infrared emitter215 and infrared camera 220 are both on the right rim 107B, or indifferent locations on the frame 105, for example, the infrared emitter215 is on the left rim 107A and the infrared camera 220 is on the rightrim 107B. In another example, the infrared emitter 215 is on the frame105 and the infrared camera 220 is on one of the temples 110A-B, or viceversa. The infrared emitter 215 can be connected essentially anywhere onthe frame 105, left temple 110A, or right temple 110B to emit a patternof infrared light. Similarly, the infrared camera 220 can be connectedessentially anywhere on the frame 105, left temple 110A, or right temple110B to capture at least one reflection variation in the emitted patternof infrared light.

The infrared emitter 215 and infrared camera 220 are arranged to faceinwards towards an eye of the user with a partial or full field of viewof the eye in order to identify the respective eye position and gazedirection. For example, the infrared emitter 215 and infrared camera 220are positioned directly in front of the eye, in the upper part of theframe 105 or in the temples 110A-B at either ends of the frame 105.

In an example, the processor 432 utilizes eye tracker 213 to determinean eye gaze direction 230 of a wearer's eye 234 as shown in FIG. 2C, andan eye position 236 of the wearer's eye 234 within an eyebox as shown inFIG. 2D. The eye tracker 213 is a scanner which uses infrared lightillumination (e.g., near-infrared, short-wavelength infrared,mid-wavelength infrared, long-wavelength infrared, or far infrared) tocaptured image of reflection variations of infrared light from the eye234 to determine the gaze direction 230 of a pupil 232 of the eye 234,and also the eye position 236 with respect to the see-through display180D.

FIG. 2B is a rear view of an example hardware configuration of anothereyewear device 200. In this example configuration, the eyewear device200 is depicted as including an eye scanner 213 on a right temple 210B.As shown, an infrared emitter 215 and an infrared camera 220 areco-located on the right temple 210B. It should be understood that theeye scanner 213 or one or more components of the eye scanner 213 can belocated on the left temple 210A and other locations of the eyeweardevice 200, for example, the frame 105. The infrared emitter 215 andinfrared camera 220 are like that of FIG. 2A, but the eye scanner 213can be varied to be sensitive to different light wavelengths asdescribed previously in FIG. 2A.

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic depiction of a three-dimensional scene 306, aleft raw image 302A captured by a left visible-light camera 114A, and aright raw image 302B captured by a right visible-light camera 114B. Theleft field of view 111A may overlap, as shown, with the right field ofview 111B. The overlapping field of view 304 represents that portion ofthe image captured by both cameras 114A, 114B. The term ‘overlapping’when referring to field of view means the matrix of pixels in thegenerated raw images overlap by thirty percent (30%) or more.‘Substantially overlapping’ means the matrix of pixels in the generatedraw images—or in the infrared image of scene—overlap by fifty percent(50%) or more. As described herein, the two raw images 302A, 302B may beprocessed to include a timestamp, which allows the images to bedisplayed together as part of a three-dimensional projection.

For the capture of stereo images, as illustrated in FIG. 3 , a pair ofraw red, green, and blue (RGB) images are captured of a real scene 306at a given moment in time—a left raw image 302A captured by the leftcamera 114A and right raw image 302B captured by the right camera 114B.When the pair of raw images 302A, 302B are processed (e.g., by the imageprocessor 412), depth images are generated. The generated depth imagesmay be viewed on an optical assembly 180A, 180B of an eyewear device, onanother display (e.g., the image display 580 on a mobile device 401), oron a screen.

The generated depth images are in the three-dimensional space domain andcan comprise a matrix of vertices on a three-dimensional locationcoordinate system that includes an X axis for horizontal position (e.g.,length), a Y axis for vertical position (e.g., height), and a Z axis fordepth (e.g., distance). Each vertex may include a color attribute (e.g.,a red pixel light value, a green pixel light value, or a blue pixellight value); a position attribute (e.g., an X location coordinate, a Ylocation coordinate, and a Z location coordinate); a texture attribute;a reflectance attribute; or a combination thereof. The texture attributequantifies the perceived texture of the depth image, such as the spatialarrangement of color or intensities in a region of vertices of the depthimage.

In one example, the interactive augmented reality system 400 (FIG. 4 )includes the eyewear device 100, which includes a frame 105 and a lefttemple 110A extending from a left lateral side 170A of the frame 105 anda right temple 125B extending from a right lateral side 170B of theframe 105. The eyewear device 100 may further include at least twovisible-light cameras 114A, 114B having overlapping fields of view. Inone example, the eyewear device 100 includes a left visible-light camera114A with a left field of view 111A, as illustrated in FIG. 3 . The leftcamera 114A is connected to the frame 105 or the left temple 110A tocapture a left raw image 302A from the left side of scene 306. Theeyewear device 100 further includes a right visible-light camera 114Bwith a right field of view 111B. The right camera 114B is connected tothe frame 105 or the right temple 125B to capture a right raw image 302Bfrom the right side of scene 306.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of an example interactive augmentedreality system 400 that includes a wearable device (e.g., an eyeweardevice 100), a mobile device 401, and a server system 498 connected viavarious networks 495 such as the Internet. The interactive augmentedreality system 400 includes a low-power wireless connection 425 and ahigh-speed wireless connection 437 between the eyewear device 100 andthe mobile device 401.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the eyewear device 100 includes one or morevisible-light cameras 114A, 114B that capture still images, videoimages, or both still and video images, as described herein. The cameras114A, 114B may have a direct memory access (DMA) to high-speed circuitry430 and function as a stereo camera. The cameras 114A, 114B may be usedto capture initial-depth images that may be rendered intothree-dimensional (3D) models that are texture-mapped images of a red,green, and blue (RGB) imaged scene. The device 100 may also include adepth sensor 213, which uses infrared signals to estimate the positionof objects relative to the device 100. The depth sensor 213 in someexamples includes one or more infrared emitter(s) 415 and infraredcamera(s) 410.

The eyewear device 100 further includes two image displays 177 of eachoptical assembly 180A, 180B (one associated with the left side 170A andone associated with the right side 170B). The eyewear device 100 alsoincludes an image display driver 442, an image processor 412, low-powercircuitry 420, and high-speed circuitry 430. The image displays 177 ofeach optical assembly 180A, 180B are for presenting images, includingstill images, video images, or still and video images. The image displaydriver 442 is coupled to the image displays of each optical assembly180A, 180B in order to control the display of images.

The eyewear device 100 additionally includes one or more speakers 440(e.g., one associated with the left side of the eyewear device andanother associated with the right side of the eyewear device). Thespeakers 440 may be incorporated into the frame 105, temples 125, orcorners 110 of the eyewear device 100. The one or more speakers 440 aredriven by audio processor 443 under control of low-power circuitry 420,high-speed circuitry 430, or both. The speakers 440 are for presentingaudio signals including, for example, a beat track. The audio processor443 is coupled to the speakers 440 in order to control the presentationof sound.

The components shown in FIG. 4 for the eyewear device 100 are located onone or more circuit boards, for example a printed circuit board (PCB) orflexible printed circuit (FPC), located in the rims or temples.Alternatively, or additionally, the depicted components can be locatedin the corners, frames, hinges, or bridge of the eyewear device 100.Left and right visible-light cameras 114A, 114B can include digitalcamera elements such as a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS)image sensor, a charge-coupled device, a lens, or any other respectivevisible or light capturing elements that may be used to capture data,including still images or video of scenes with unknown objects.

As shown in FIG. 4 , high-speed circuitry 430 includes a high-speedprocessor 432, a memory 434, and high-speed wireless circuitry 436. Inthe example, the image display driver 442 is coupled to the high-speedcircuitry 430 and operated by the high-speed processor 432 in order todrive the left and right image displays of each optical assembly 180A,180B. High-speed processor 432 may be any processor capable of managinghigh-speed communications and operation of any general computing systemneeded for eyewear device 100. High-speed processor 432 includesprocessing resources needed for managing high-speed data transfers onhigh-speed wireless connection 437 to a wireless local area network(WLAN) using high-speed wireless circuitry 436.

In some examples, the high-speed processor 432 executes an operatingsystem such as a LINUX operating system or other such operating systemof the eyewear device 100 and the operating system is stored in memory434 for execution. In addition to any other responsibilities, thehigh-speed processor 432 executes a software architecture for theeyewear device 100 that is used to manage data transfers with high-speedwireless circuitry 436. In some examples, high-speed wireless circuitry436 is configured to implement Institute of Electrical and ElectronicEngineers (IEEE) 802.11 communication standards, also referred to hereinas Wi-Fi. In other examples, other high-speed communications standardsmay be implemented by high-speed wireless circuitry 436.

The low-power circuitry 420 includes a low-power processor 422 andlow-power wireless circuitry 424. The low-power wireless circuitry 424and the high-speed wireless circuitry 436 of the eyewear device 100 caninclude short-range transceivers (Bluetooth™ or Bluetooth Low-Energy(BLE)) and wireless wide, local, or wide-area network transceivers(e.g., cellular or Wi-Fi). Mobile device 401, including the transceiverscommunicating via the low-power wireless connection 425 and thehigh-speed wireless connection 437, may be implemented using details ofthe architecture of the eyewear device 100, as can other elements of thenetwork 495.

Memory 434 includes any storage device capable of storing various dataand applications, including, among other things, camera data generatedby the left and right visible-light cameras 114A, 114B, the infraredcamera(s) 410, the image processor 412, and images generated for display177 by the image display driver 442 on the image display of each opticalassembly 180A, 180B. Although the memory 434 is shown as integrated withhigh-speed circuitry 430, the memory 434 in other examples may be anindependent, standalone element of the eyewear device 100. In certainsuch examples, electrical routing lines may provide a connection througha chip that includes the high-speed processor 432 from the imageprocessor 412 or low-power processor 422 to the memory 434. In otherexamples, the high-speed processor 432 may manage addressing of memory434 such that the low-power processor 422 will boot the high-speedprocessor 432 any time that a read or write operation involving memory434 is needed.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the high-speed processor 432 of the eyewear device100 can be coupled to the camera system (visible-light cameras 114A,114B), the image display driver 442, the user input device 491, and thememory 434. As shown in FIG. 5 , the CPU 530 of the mobile device 401may be coupled to a camera system 570, a mobile display driver 582, auser input layer 591, and a memory 540A.

The server system 498 may be one or more computing devices as part of aservice or network computing system, for example, that include aprocessor, a memory, and network communication interface to communicateover the network 495 with one or more eyewear devices 100 and a mobiledevice 401.

The output components of the eyewear device 100 include visual elements,such as the left and right image displays 177 associated with each lensor optical assembly 180A, 180B as described in FIGS. 2A and 2B (e.g., adisplay such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display panel(PDP), a light emitting diode (LED) display, a projector, or awaveguide). The eyewear device 100 may include a user-facing indicator(e.g., an LED, a loudspeaker, or a vibrating actuator), or anoutward-facing signal (e.g., an LED, a loudspeaker). The image displays177 of each optical assembly 180A, 180B are driven by the image displaydriver 442. In some example configurations, the output components of theeyewear device 100 further include additional indicators such as audibleelements (e.g., loudspeakers), tactile components (e.g., an actuatorsuch as a vibratory motor to generate haptic feedback), and other signalgenerators. For example, the device 100 may include a user-facing set ofindicators, and an outward-facing set of signals. The user-facing set ofindicators are configured to be seen or otherwise sensed by the user ofthe device 100. For example, the device 100 may include an LED displaypositioned so the user can see it, a one or more speakers positioned togenerate a sound the user can hear, or an actuator to provide hapticfeedback the user can feel. The outward-facing set of signals areconfigured to be seen or otherwise sensed by an observer near the device100. Similarly, the device 100 may include an LED, a loudspeaker, or anactuator that is configured and positioned to be sensed by an observer.

The input components of the eyewear device 100 may include inputcomponents (e.g., a touch screen or touchpad 181 configured to receivealphanumeric input, a photo-optical keyboard, or otheralphanumeric-configured elements), pointer-based input components (e.g.,a mouse, a touchpad, a trackball, a joystick, a motion sensor, or otherpointing instruments), tactile input components (e.g., a button switch,a touch screen or touchpad that senses the location, force or locationand force of touches or touch gestures, or other tactile-configuredelements), and audio input components (e.g., a microphone), and thelike. The mobile device 401 and the server system 498 may includealphanumeric, pointer-based, tactile, audio, and other input components.

In some examples, the eyewear device 100 includes a collection ofmotion-sensing components referred to as an inertial measurement unit472. The motion-sensing components may be micro-electro-mechanicalsystems (MEMS) with microscopic moving parts, often small enough to bepart of a microchip. The inertial measurement unit (IMU) 472 in someexample configurations includes an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and amagnetometer. The accelerometer senses the linear acceleration of thedevice 100 (including the acceleration due to gravity) relative to threeorthogonal axes (x, y, z). The gyroscope senses the angular velocity ofthe device 100 about three axes of rotation (pitch, roll, yaw).Together, the accelerometer and gyroscope can provide position,orientation, and motion data about the device relative to six axes (x,y, z, pitch, roll, yaw). The magnetometer, if present, senses theheading of the device 100 relative to magnetic north. The position ofthe device 100 may be determined by location sensors, such as a GPS unit473, one or more transceivers to generate relative position coordinates,altitude sensors or barometers, and other orientation sensors. Suchpositioning system coordinates can also be received over the wirelessconnections 425, 437 from the mobile device 401 via the low-powerwireless circuitry 424 or the high-speed wireless circuitry 436.

The IMU 472 may include or cooperate with a digital motion processor orprogramming that gathers the raw data from the components and compute anumber of useful values about the position, orientation, and motion ofthe device 100. For example, the acceleration data gathered from theaccelerometer can be integrated to obtain the velocity relative to eachaxis (x, y, z); and integrated again to obtain the position of thedevice 100 (in linear coordinates, x, y, and z). The angular velocitydata from the gyroscope can be integrated to obtain the position of thedevice 100 (in spherical coordinates). The programming for computingthese useful values may be stored in memory 434 and executed by thehigh-speed processor 432 of the eyewear device 100.

The eyewear device 100 may optionally include additional peripheralsensors, such as biometric sensors, specialty sensors, or displayelements integrated with eyewear device 100. For example, peripheraldevice elements may include any I/O components including outputcomponents, motion components, position components, or any other suchelements described herein. For example, the biometric sensors mayinclude components to detect expressions (e.g., hand expressions, facialexpressions, vocal expressions, body gestures, or eye tracking), tomeasure bio signals (e.g., blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature,perspiration, or brain waves), or to identify a person (e.g.,identification based on voice, retina, facial characteristics,fingerprints, or electrical bio signals such as electroencephalogramdata), and the like.

The mobile device 401 may be a smartphone, tablet, laptop computer,access point, or any other such device capable of connecting witheyewear device 100 using both a low-power wireless connection 425 and ahigh-speed wireless connection 437. Mobile device 401 is connected toserver system 498 and network 495. The network 495 may include anycombination of wired and wireless connections.

The interactive augmented reality system 400, as shown in FIG. 4 ,includes a computing device, such as mobile device 401, coupled to aneyewear device 100 over a network 495. The interactive augmented realitysystem 400 includes a memory for storing instructions and a processorfor executing the instructions. Execution of the instructions of theinteractive augmented reality system 400 by the processor 432 configuresthe eyewear device 100 to cooperate with the mobile device 401, and alsowith another eyewear device 100 over the network 495. The interactiveaugmented reality system 400 may utilize the memory 434 of the eyeweardevice 100 or the memory elements 540A, 540B, 540C of the mobile device401 (FIG. 5 ).

Any of the functionality described herein for the eyewear device 100,the mobile device 401, and the server system 498 can be embodied in oneor more computer software applications or sets of programminginstructions, as described herein. According to some examples,“function,” “functions,” “application,” “applications,” “instruction,”“instructions,” or “programming” are program(s) that execute functionsdefined in the programs. Various programming languages can be employedto develop one or more of the applications, structured in a variety ofmanners, such as object-oriented programming languages (e.g.,Objective-C, Java, or C++) or procedural programming languages (e.g., Cor assembly language). In a specific example, a third-party application(e.g., an application developed using the ANDROID™ or IOS™ softwaredevelopment kit (SDK) by an entity other than the vendor of theparticular platform) may include mobile software running on a mobileoperating system such as IOS™, ANDROID™, WINDOWS® Phone, or anothermobile operating systems. In this example, the third-party applicationcan invoke API calls provided by the operating system to facilitatefunctionality described herein.

Hence, a machine-readable medium may take many forms of tangible storagemedium. Non-volatile storage media include, for example, optical ormagnetic disks, such as any of the storage devices in any computerdevices or the like, such as may be used to implement the client device,media gateway, transcoder, etc. shown in the drawings. Volatile storagemedia include dynamic memory, such as main memory of such a computerplatform. Tangible transmission media include coaxial cables; copperwire and fiber optics, including the wires that comprise a bus within acomputer system. Carrier-wave transmission media may take the form ofelectric or electromagnetic signals, or acoustic or light waves such asthose generated during radio frequency (RF) and infrared (IR) datacommunications. Common forms of computer-readable media thereforeinclude for example: a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetictape, any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, DVD or DVD-ROM, any otheroptical medium, punch cards paper tape, any other physical storagemedium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM and EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM,any other memory chip or cartridge, a carrier wave transporting data orinstructions, cables or links transporting such a carrier wave, or anyother medium from which a computer may read programming code or data.Many of these forms of computer readable media may be involved incarrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions to aprocessor for execution.

The interactive augmented reality system 400 includes a 3D framealgorithm 460 stored in memory 434 that is executed by processor 432. Inaddition, the interactive augmented reality system 400 may furtherutilize the memory and processor elements of the server system 498. Inthis aspect, the memory and processing functions of the interactiveaugmented reality system 400 can be shared or distributed across theeyewear device 100, the mobile device 401, and the server system 498.

FIG. 5 is a high-level functional block diagram of an example mobiledevice 401. Mobile device 401 includes a flash memory 540A which storesprogramming to be executed by the CPU 530 to perform all or a subset ofthe functions described herein.

The mobile device 401 may include a camera 570 that comprises at leasttwo visible-light cameras (first and second visible-light cameras withoverlapping fields of view) or at least one visible-light camera and adepth sensor with substantially overlapping fields of view. Flash memory540A may further include multiple images or video, which are generatedvia the camera 570.

As shown, the mobile device 401 includes an image display 580, a mobiledisplay driver 582 to control the image display 580, and a displaycontroller 584. In the example of FIG. 5 , the image display 580includes a user input layer 591 (e.g., a touchscreen) that is layered ontop of or otherwise integrated into the screen used by the image display580.

Examples of touchscreen-type mobile devices that may be used include(but are not limited to) a smart phone, a personal digital assistant(PDA), a tablet computer, a laptop computer, or other portable device.However, the structure and operation of the touchscreen-type devices isprovided by way of example; the subject technology as described hereinis not intended to be limited thereto. For purposes of this discussion,FIG. 5 therefore provides a block diagram illustration of the examplemobile device 401 with a user interface that includes a touchscreeninput layer 591 for receiving input (by touch, multi-touch, or gesture,and the like, by hand, stylus or other tool) and an image display 580for displaying content

As shown in FIG. 5 , the mobile device 401 includes at least one digitaltransceiver (XCVR) 510, shown as WWAN XCVRs, for digital wirelesscommunications via a wide-area wireless mobile communication network.The mobile device 401 also includes additional digital or analogtransceivers, such as short-range transceivers (XCVRs) 520 forshort-range network communication, such as via NFC, VLC, DECT, ZigBee,Bluetooth™, or Wi-Fi. For example, short range XCVRs 520 may take theform of any available two-way wireless local area network (WLAN)transceiver of a type that is compatible with one or more standardprotocols of communication implemented in wireless local area networks,such as one of the Wi-Fi standards under IEEE 802.11.

To generate location coordinates for positioning of the mobile device401, the mobile device 401 can include a global positioning system (GPS)receiver. Alternatively, or additionally the mobile device 401 canutilize either or both the short range XCVRs 520 and WWAN XCVRs 510 forgenerating location coordinates for positioning. For example, cellularnetwork, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth™ based positioning systems can generatevery accurate location coordinates, particularly when used incombination. Such location coordinates can be transmitted to the eyeweardevice over one or more network connections via XCVRs 510, 520.

The transceivers 510, 520 (i.e., the network communication interface)conforms to one or more of the various digital wireless communicationstandards utilized by modern mobile networks. Examples of WWANtransceivers 510 include (but are not limited to) transceiversconfigured to operate in accordance with Code Division Multiple Access(CDMA) and 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) networktechnologies including, for example and without limitation, 3GPP type 2(or 3GPP2) and LTE, at times referred to as “4G.” For example, thetransceivers 510, 520 provide two-way wireless communication ofinformation including digitized audio signals, still image and videosignals, web page information for display as well as web-related inputs,and various types of mobile message communications to/from the mobiledevice 401.

The mobile device 401 further includes a microprocessor that functionsas a central processing unit (CPU); shown as CPU 530 in FIG. 4 . Aprocessor is a circuit having elements structured and arranged toperform one or more processing functions, typically various dataprocessing functions. Although discrete logic components could be used,the examples utilize components forming a programmable CPU. Amicroprocessor for example includes one or more integrated circuit (IC)chips incorporating the electronic elements to perform the functions ofthe CPU. The CPU 530, for example, may be based on any known oravailable microprocessor architecture, such as a Reduced Instruction SetComputing (RISC) using an ARM architecture, as commonly used today inmobile devices and other portable electronic devices. Of course, otherarrangements of processor circuitry may be used to form the CPU 530 orprocessor hardware in smartphone, laptop computer, and tablet.

The CPU 530 serves as a programmable host controller for the mobiledevice 401 by configuring the mobile device 401 to perform variousoperations, for example, in accordance with instructions or programmingexecutable by CPU 530. For example, such operations may include variousgeneral operations of the mobile device, as well as operations relatedto the programming for applications on the mobile device. Although aprocessor may be configured by use of hardwired logic, typicalprocessors in mobile devices are general processing circuits configuredby execution of programming.

The mobile device 401 includes a memory or storage system, for storingprogramming and data. In the example, the memory system may include aflash memory 540A, a random-access memory (RAM) 540B, and other memorycomponents 540C, as needed. The RAM 540B serves as short-term storagefor instructions and data being handled by the CPU 530, e.g., as aworking data processing memory. The flash memory 540A typically provideslonger-term storage.

Hence, in the example of mobile device 401, the flash memory 540A isused to store programming or instructions for execution by the CPU 530.Depending on the type of device, the mobile device 401 stores and runs amobile operating system through which specific applications areexecuted. Examples of mobile operating systems include Google Android,Apple iOS (for iPhone or iPad devices), Windows Mobile, Amazon Fire OS,RIM BlackBerry OS, or the like.

The processor 432 within the eyewear device 100 may construct a map ofthe environment surrounding the eyewear device 100, determine a locationof the eyewear device within the mapped environment, and determine arelative position of the eyewear device to one or more objects in themapped environment. The processor 432 may construct the map anddetermine location and position information using a simultaneouslocalization and mapping (SLAM) algorithm applied to data received fromone or more sensors. In the context of augmented reality, a SLAMalgorithm is used to construct and update a map of an environment, whilesimultaneously tracking and updating the location of a device (or auser) within the mapped environment. The mathematical solution can beapproximated using various statistical methods, such as particlefilters, Kalman filters, extended Kalman filters, and covarianceintersection.

Sensor data includes images received from one or both of the cameras114A, 114B, distance(s) received from a laser range finder, positioninformation received from a GPS unit 473, or a combination of two ormore of such sensor data, or from other sensors providing data useful indetermining positional information.

FIG. 6 illustrates display 177 of the eyewear device 100 showing virtualcontent comprising an object 600 displayed in a frame of reference,shown as a virtual scene 602, viewable by a user. The user canmanipulate the displayed virtual object 600 using control components,such as touchpad 181 of the eyewear device 100, and the mobile device401 including control components 591 of display 580 (e.g., a keyboard, atouch screen configured to receive alphanumeric input, a photo-opticalkeyboard, or other alphanumeric input components), point-based inputcomponents (e.g., a mouse, a touchpad, a trackball, a joystick, a motionsensor, or other pointing instruments), tactile input components (e.g.,a physical button, a touch screen that provides location and force oftouches or touch gestures, or other tactile input components), audioinput components (e.g., a microphone), and the like.

The virtual scene 602 has a relatively small field of view (FOV) definedby the display edges 603 which makes it difficult to display contentwithout getting clipped by the edge 603 of the display 177. If thecontent being shown on the display 177 extends past the bounds of theFOV, the content gets clipped and is not displayed. The user seeing theedge of the displayed virtual content being clipped distracts from thevirtual experience and draws attention to the device's limitations.

In an example, as shown in FIG. 6 , a virtual frame 604 is displayed bydisplay 177 around three-dimensional (3D) content 606 to avoid FOVclipping by the display 177 to address this issue. The frame 604 isillustrated as a window positioned in a central portion of the virtualscene 602 displayed on display 177. The frame 604 can be manipulatedwith reference to the virtual scene 602 by the user using the controlinputs, such as by rotating the frame 604 about a non-visual verticalaxis 608 within the virtual scene 602 (FIG. 8 ). Upon advancing theframe 604 to the next/previous frame having different 3D content 606, anevent (i.e. play animation) can be triggered. In other examples, thenon-visible axis 608 can extend horizontally, diagonally and thuslimitation to a vertical axis is not to be inferred.

The frame 604 is an interface designed to showcase spatial content byutilizing parallax, depth of field, and stereoscopic rendering, whichare more noticeable inside of a frame that can be manipulated Users caninteract with frame 604 using the control components, such as providingtouchpad touch interactions on touchpad 181, head movement and rotation,hand tracking/gestures, and mobile device controller interactions usinginput layer 591 of display 580. The frame 604 is a user interface (UI)that allows users to navigate between pages/content 606 though simpleinteractions.

The frame 604 can have many 3D shapes, such as a 3D cube with an openfront face as shown in FIG. 6 , as well as a 3D triangle as shown inFIG. 7 . The frame 604 has an outer occluder mesh that hides the outwardfaces of the frame 604. The frame 604 can be any shape, as long as theframe 604 does not extend past the FOV border 603 of scene 602. When theframe 604 is displayed perpendicular to the scene 602, as shown in FIG.8 , the current frame 604 switches to the next frame 604, creating aseamless transition between frames that is noticeable to the user. Theframes 604 preferably are the same height and thickness as each other,making for the seamless transition.

As shown in FIG. 8 , the user can spin the frame 604 about thenon-visible axis 608 to advance to a next displayed 3D scene 606. Theuser can interact with the 3D content 606 by rotating the frames 604,allowing for the content 606 to feel more spatial. To advance to thenext or previous content 606, the user can rotate the frame 604 byswiping on the touchpad 181. Swiping on the touchpad 181 uses inertiascrolling mechanics. Swiping the touchpad 181 back to front advances theframe 604 to the next frame. Swiping the touchpad 181 front to backreturns frame 604 to the previous frame. If the user swipes the touchpad181 slowly and rotates frame less than 90 degrees, frame 604 will returnto the state that it was in before. If the user swipes the touchpad 181fast and rotates the frame 604 more than 90 degrees, the frame 604 isrounded to the nearest 90 degrees and rotates to that frame.

Referring to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 , the frames 604 can also be controlledby head rotation, which is detected by the IMU 572.

Locked Head Rotation

When eyewear 100 is being worn, the user can rotate its head toresponsively and selectively rotate frames 604. The frames 604 will stoprotating after reaching a set angle threshold. The frames 604 willreturn to original position after passing the angle threshold and a settime has elapsed.

Unlocked Head Rotation (Off by Default)

When eyewear 100 is being worn, the user can rotate its head tocorrespondingly and proportionally rotate frames 604. The frame rotationcan be accelerated so that the rate of head rotation requires lessmovement

Hand Tracking

The frames 604 can be controlled by hand tracking. If the user moves itshand left to right, as detected by eyewear 100, frame 604 rotates leftto right. If the user moves its hand right to left, frame 604 rotatesright to left. Other hand movements and gestures (i.e. making a fist)can be used to interact with and control content 606 within the frame604.

Mobile Device Controller

The frames 604 can be controlled via the mobile device 401 shown in FIG.5 . If the user swipes across the user input layer 591 of display 580from left to right, the frame 604 rotates from left to right. If theuser swipes across the input layer 591 from right to left, the frame 604rotates from right to left. Tapping/pinching gestures and six degrees offreedom (6DOF) inputs from the mobile device 401 can also be used tointeract with the frame 604.

Other Touch Pad Interactions

Additional interactions can be used with frames 604.

Tap—user can tap the touchpad 181 to interact with content within aframe.

Press and Hold—user can press and hold the touchpad 181 to interact withcontent 606 within the frame 604.

Press and Hold+ Head Rotate—user can press and hold the touchpad 181 androtate their head to interact with content 606 within the frame 604.This interaction can be useful for moving or rotating objects inside theframe 604.

Two Finger Swipe—User can do a two-finger swipe on the touchpad 181 tointeract with content 606 within the frame 604. This interaction can beuseful to move to the next/previous frame 604 without having to rotatethe actual frame.

The frames 604 creates a new way of interacting with and viewing 3Dcontent. The frames 604 create a parallax between 3D layers by rotatingframes 604, especially with the locked head rotation interaction. Theframes 604 also form a stereoscopic display by taking advantage ofstereoscopic displays 177 to make content 606 feel more 3D The frames604 provide depth layers, where the actual frame 604 creates aforeground layer that makes the experience feel like one is peering intoa window.

The frames 604 can be used for storytelling. Like a comic book, eachframe 604 can be used as a scene in a larger narrative. The frames 604can auto-advance to the next frame for passive story viewing.

The frames 604 can be used for navigating through an array of contentthat is dynamically loaded into the interface. Examples are DiscoverShows, Podcasts, and Music playlists. Once the user has swiped through alist using the frames 604 and found a show the user likes, the user canthen tap or press and hold on the touchpad 181 or the mobile devicetouchscreen 580 to select to in-show navigation options where the usercan see a UI, such as a Spatial Creation, Communication and SystemNavigation Interface, which lets the user Play/Stop/Skip fwd-bwd withinthe show or playlist the user has selected.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart 1100 depicting a method of operation of theprocessor 432 executing instructions of the 3D frame application 460described herein on a wearable device (e.g., an eyewear device 100).Although the steps of the processor 432 are described with reference tothe eyewear device 100, as described herein, other implementations ofthe steps described, for other types of devices, will be understood byone of skill in the art from the description herein. Additionally, it iscontemplated that one or more of the steps shown in FIG. 11 , and inother figures, and described herein may be omitted, performedsimultaneously or in a series, performed in an order other thanillustrated and described, or performed in conjunction with additionalsteps.

At step 1102, the user of eyewear 100 initiates the 3D frame application460 using an input controller such as the touchpad 181 or mobile device401. The processor 432 responsively displays frame 604 in the midsectionof virtual scene 602 as illustrated in FIG. 6 . In one example,processor 432 displays virtual scene 602 and frame 604 by retrievingscene and frame images from memory 434, using 3D frame application 460to render virtual scene 602 and frame 604 images from the retrievedscene and frame images, and instructing image display driver 442 todisplay the virtual scene 602 and frame 604 as rendered on the display180.

At step 1104, the user selects the 3D content 606 to be displayed inframe 604 using the input controller. A menu of available 3D content canbe displayed on display 177 or on display 580 so the user can previewthe content and then select the content. The 3D content is stored inmemory 434, and can also be stored on server system 498. The 3D content606 can also be streamed to the display 177 in one example where theeyewear 100 is a slave to a device streaming the 3D content 606. In oneexample, processor 432 displays the available 3D content on the display117 and receives input sections from the input controller(s).

At step 1106, the user can manipulate the frame 604 within the virtualscene 602 using the input controller, such as to control rotation of theframe 604 as shown in FIG. 8 , to advance the 3D content to more 3Dcontent, and return the 3D content to previous 3D content as previouslydescribed. The user can use head movement, hand movement to control theselection and manipulation of the 3D content 606. In one example,processor 432 manipulates the frame 604 responsive to the user inputs byreceiving the input from the input controller(s), using 3D frameapplication 460 to update the rendered virtual scene 602 and frame 604images, and instructing image display driver 442 to display the virtualscene 602 and frame 604 as updated on the display 177.

Except as stated immediately above, nothing that has been stated orillustrated is intended or should be interpreted to cause a dedicationof any component, step, feature, object, benefit, advantage, orequivalent to the public, regardless of whether it is or is not recitedin the claims.

It will be understood that the terms and expressions used herein havethe ordinary meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions withrespect to their corresponding respective areas of inquiry and studyexcept where specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.Relational terms such as first and second and the like may be usedsolely to distinguish one entity or action from another withoutnecessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or orderbetween such entities or actions. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,”“includes,” “including,” or any other variation thereof, are intended tocover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article,or apparatus that comprises or includes a list of elements or steps doesnot include only those elements or steps but may include other elementsor steps not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method,article, or apparatus. An element preceded by “a” or “an” does not,without further constraints, preclude the existence of additionalidentical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus thatcomprises the element.

Unless otherwise stated, any and all measurements, values, ratings,positions, magnitudes, sizes, and other specifications that are setforth in this specification, including in the claims that follow, areapproximate, not exact. Such amounts are intended to have a reasonablerange that is consistent with the functions to which they relate andwith what is customary in the art to which they pertain. For example,unless expressly stated otherwise, a parameter value or the like mayvary by as much as plus or minus ten percent from the stated amount orrange.

In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, it can be seen thatvarious features are grouped together in various examples for thepurpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is notto be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed examplesrequire more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather,as the following claims reflect, the subject matter to be protected liesin less than all features of any single disclosed example. Thus, thefollowing claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description,with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimed subjectmatter.

While the foregoing has described what are considered to be the bestmode and other examples, it is understood that various modifications maybe made therein and that the subject matter disclosed herein may beimplemented in various forms and examples, and that they may be appliedin numerous applications, only some of which have been described herein.It is intended by the following claims to claim any and allmodifications and variations that fall within the true scope of thepresent concepts.

The invention claimed is:
 1. Eyewear, comprising: a frame; a displaycoupled to the frame and having edges defining a field of view (FOV);and a processor configured to: display a virtual frame over a backgroundimage on the display; enable a user to manipulate the virtual frameincluding content over the background image in multiple orientationswith respect to the display FOV; and enable the user to advance thecontent of the virtual frame by rotating the virtual frame about an axisand over the background image.
 2. The eyewear of claim 1, wherein thecontent comprises three-dimensional (3D) content.
 3. The eyewear ofclaim 2, wherein the processor is configured to enable the user toadvance the 3D content of the virtual frame to new 3D content.
 4. Theeyewear of claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to automaticallyadvance the 3D content of the virtual frame to new 3D content.
 5. Theeyewear of claim 2, wherein the virtual frame comprises a 3D frame withthe 3D content of the virtual frame displayed in the 3D frame.
 6. Theeyewear of claim 1, wherein the eyewear comprises an input controllerconfigured to enable the user to manipulate the displayed virtual frame.7. The eyewear of claim 1, further comprising an optical member coupledto the display, wherein the display is configured such that the user cansee the content of the virtual frame and through the optical member. 8.An interactive augmented reality method for use with an eyewear devicehaving a frame, a display coupled to the frame and having edges defininga field of view (FOV), and a processor: displaying a virtual frame overa background image on the display; enabling a user to manipulate thevirtual frame including content over the background image in multipleorientations with respect to the display FOV; and enabling the user toadvance the content of the virtual frame by rotating the virtual frameabout an axis and over the background image.
 9. The method of claim 8,wherein the content comprises three-dimensional (3D) content.
 10. Themethod of claim 9, wherein the processor is configured to enable theuser to advance the 3D content of the virtual frame to new 3D content.11. The method of claim 9, wherein the processor automatically advancesthe 3D content of the virtual frame to new 3D content.
 12. The method ofclaim 9, wherein the virtual frame comprises a 3D frame with the 3Dcontent of the virtual frame displayed in the 3D frame.
 13. The methodof claim 8, wherein the eyewear comprises an input controller configuredto enable the user to manipulate the displayed virtual frame.
 14. Themethod of claim 8, further comprising an optical member including thedisplay, wherein the display is configured such that the user can seethe content of the virtual frame and through the optical member.
 15. Anon-transitory computer-readable medium storing program code which, whenexecuted, is operative to cause an electronic processor of an eyeweardevice having a frame, and a display coupled to the frame and havingedges defining a field of view (FOV), to perform the steps of:displaying a virtual frame over a background image on the display;enabling a user to manipulate the virtual frame including content overthe background image in multiple orientations with respect to thedisplay FOV; and enabling the user to advance the content of the virtualframe by rotating the virtual frame about an axis and over thebackground image.
 16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 15, wherein the content is three-dimensional (3D) content.
 17. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the code isoperative to enable the user to advance the 3D content of the virtualframe to new 3D content.
 18. The non-transitory computer-readable mediumof claim 16, wherein the code is operative to automatically advance the3D content of the virtual frame to new 3D content.
 19. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16 wherein the virtualframe comprises a 3D frame with the 3D content of the virtual framedisplayed in the 3D frame.
 20. The non-transitory computer-readablemedium of claim 15 wherein the eyewear comprises an input controllerconfigured to enable the user to manipulate the displayed virtual frame.